Re: Re : Re: Long Languages

"From Http://Members.Aol.Com/Lassailly/Tunuframe.Html" wrote:

(re: rtemmu grammar)

> although I think
> I got its "all-agent" system.
>
    I don't understand what you are referring to here, Mathias.
As I understand it (and please correct me if I've got it wrong), "agent" refers
to
an argument of a verb with the semantic role of "the one responsible for
the (verbal) event", just as "object" refers to "that which receives the result
of the event".
    Anyhow, rtemmu does not grammatically mark verbs or nouns as such.
The first content word is generally the topic of the sentence and all the
rest adds something to understanding it.
    Nevertheless, the semantics of "causer of an event", "receiver of an event",
etc., can be expressed. rtemmu's world-view still includes cause-and effect even
if if doesn't grammatically recognize "things" and "actions". For example:
in the English sentence:
                The man chops down a birch tree.
"man" is obviously the only agent; the other words play different roles.
In rtemmu, the same thing could be said (variations possible by varying
the "speed of change" markers) as:

 inazuv tikuhnuh kehs mtuku raskehs dshuhvakuhhe zuv tikuh'uh zuv ryo`tsax.

(Talk about a long sentence! :-) )

i = the speaker asserts that
na = speaker's subjective change is normal
zuv = the number of men seems to be changing too slow to notice
tikuh = one
nuh = semi-definite article (suffixed to numbers) indicating
           that one exists, and others may or may not exist
kehs = the man is objectively changing at a normal rate
            (maybe he is sweating, getting more and more
              tired, etc.)
mtuku = man (in the process of being and developing)
ras-kehs = repetition - objective normal change during
                   chopping process
dshuhvaku - he = chopping process - with respect to
zuv =  the number of trees is not noticibly changing
tikuh = one (tree)
'uh = indefinite article (suffixed to numbers)
zuv = objective change too slow to notice
          (the tree is down: it's not going to do a whole lot more)
ryo`t - sax = birch tree - termination of process
                    (the tree,  as a tree-process, doesn't exist any more)

    It seems to me that a case could be made (oops! I just discovered
the pun! Leave it in.  :-)  ) for finding an agent, an action, and an
object in the rtemmu sentence. What I don't understand is how
"all-agent" would apply here.

Dan Sulani


--
 likehsna  rtem  zuv  tikuhnuh  auag  inuvuz  vaka'a.

 A  word  is  an  awesome  thing.